MEXICO’S MOST FEARED CARTEL LEADER, “EL MENCHO” KILLED DURING SECURITY OPERATION

Mon 23 February 2026:

Mexico’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was killed during a security operation in the western state of Jalisco. The offensive targeted one of the most powerful and diversified criminal organizations in the country, ending the 15-year rise of a cartel that expanded across at least 22 Mexican states and built transnational links in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Operation in Jalisco

According to official statements, Oseguera — whose full name was Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes — was killed Sunday along with at least six suspected accomplices. The raid was conducted by federal security forces in Jalisco, a region long considered CJNG’s stronghold.

U.S. officials acknowledged providing intelligence assistance for the operation. The White House publicly commended Mexican authorities, underscoring growing bilateral cooperation against cartels blamed for trafficking fentanyl and other narcotics across the U.S. border. Security analyst Alberto Guerrero Baena described the mission as one of the most significant blows yet delivered under President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, noting that CJNG had long been viewed as one of the most untouchable criminal organizations in Mexico.

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Immediate Wave of Violence

Within hours of reports confirming El Mencho’s death, armed groups torched vehicles and blocked major highways in multiple states. Authorities reported coordinated unrest, though no civilian deaths were immediately confirmed. Schools in several regions suspended classes as a precaution.

The violence highlighted the cartel’s operational capacity and raised concerns about potential fragmentation within CJNG’s leadership structure, a scenario that security experts warn could lead to prolonged internal conflict.

From Rural Michoacán to Cartel Power

Born on July 17, 1966, in Aguililla, Michoacán, Oseguera began his criminal trajectory after migrating illegally to the United States in the 1980s. He settled in California, where he became involved in drug trafficking. In 1986, he was arrested on firearms and robbery charges. In 1994, he was convicted in a U.S. federal court in Northern California for conspiracy to distribute heroin and sentenced to three years in prison.

After returning to Mexico, he joined the Millennium Cartel, a criminal organization operating in Michoacán and Jalisco. Following the 2010 killing of Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel and the arrests of key figures such as Óscar Orlando Nava Valencia, the group fractured into rival factions: Los Torcidos and La Resistencia.

Oseguera led Los Torcidos, consolidating the faction in 2011 under the name CJNG. He ultimately prevailed in a violent internal struggle for control of drug trafficking routes in Jalisco, transforming the organization into one of Mexico’s most dominant cartels.

A Diversified Criminal Empire

Under El Mencho’s leadership, CJNG rapidly expanded beyond cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking. The cartel diversified into fentanyl production — a synthetic opioid at the center of the U.S. overdose crisis — as well as hydrocarbon theft, extortion, migrant smuggling and complex financial fraud schemes.

In January 2024, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump designated CJNG as a terrorist organization, intensifying pressure on Mexico to dismantle its leadership. Washington has repeatedly called for stronger action against groups accused of generating billions of dollars through cross-border drug trafficking.

-Source: Clash Report

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